The Consumer Electronics Association announced on October 17, 2012, that "Ultra High Definition", or "Ultra HD", would be used for displays that have an aspect ratio of 16:9 or wider and at least one digital input capable of carrying and presenting native video at a minimum resolution of 3840×2160 pixels.[5][6] In 2015, the Ultra HD Forum was created to bring together the end-to-end video production ecosystem to ensure interoperability and produce industry guidelines so that adoption of Ultra-high-definition television could accelerate. From just 30 in Q3 2015, the forum published a list up to 55 commercial services available around the world offering 4K resolution.[7]

Ultra-high-definition television is also known as Ultra HD, UHD, and UHDTV.[13][14][15][16][17] In Japan, 8K UHDTV will be known as Super Hi-Vision since Hi-Vision was the term used in Japan for HDTV.[18][19] In the consumer electronics market companies had previously only used the term 4K at the 2012 CES but that had changed to "Ultra HD" during the 2013 CES.[16][17] The "Ultra HD" term is an umbrella term that was selected by the Consumer Electronics Association after extensive consumer research, as the term has also been established with the introduction of "Ultra HD Blu-ray".[20]

4K UHDTV is 3840 pixels wide by 2160 pixels tall (8.29 megapixels), which is four times as many pixels as 1920 × 1080 (2.07 megapixels).

8K UHDTV is 7680 pixels wide by 4320 pixels tall (33.18 megapixels), which is sixteen times as many pixels and four times the spatial resolution of current 1080pHDTV, which brings it closer to the detail level of 15/70 mm IMAX.[14][23][24]NHK advocates the 8K UHDTV format with 22.2 surround sound as Super Hi-Vision.

The human visual system has a limited ability to discern improvements in resolution when picture elements are small enough and/or distant enough from the viewer that they are not resolved by the eye. At current consumer home viewing distances and TV sizes, increasing resolution to 4K may have little perceptual impact, as consumers would not be close enough (the Lechner distance) to appreciate the differences in pixel count between 4K and HD. UHDTV also allows other image enhancements in dynamic range and color, which can improve the perceived difference between 4KTV and HDTV. UHDTV allows the future use of the new Rec. 2020 (UHDTV) color space which can reproduce colors that cannot be shown with the current Rec. 709 (HDTV) color space.[18]

NHK researchers built a UHDTV prototype which they demonstrated in 2003.[26] They used an array of 16 HDTV recorders with a total capacity of almost 3.5 TB that could capture up to 18 minutes of test footage.[26] The camera itself was built with four 2.5 inch (64 mm) CCDs, each with a resolution of only 3840x2048.[26] Using two CCDs for green and one each for red and blue, they then used a spatial pixel offset method to bring it to 7680x4320.[26][a] Subsequently, an improved and more compact system was built using CMOS image sensor technology[27] and the CMOS image sensor system was demonstrated at Expo 2005, Aichi, Japan, the NAB 2006 and NAB 2007 conferences, Las Vegas, at IBC 2006 and IBC 2008,[28]Amsterdam, Netherlands, and CES 2009. A review of the NAB 2006 demo was published in a Broadcast Engineering e-newsletter.[29] Individuals at NHK and elsewhere project that the timeframe for UHDTV to be available in domestic homes varies between 2015 and 2020 but Japan may get it in the 2016 time frame.[30]

On December 31, 2006, NHK demonstrated a live relay of their annual Kōhaku Uta Gassen over IP from Tokyo to a 450 in (11.4 m) screen in Osaka. Using a codec developed by NHK, the video was compressed from 24 Gbit/s to 180–600 Mbit/s and the audio was compressed from 28 Mbit/s to 7–28 Mbit/s.[32] Uncompressed, a 20-minute broadcast would require roughly 4 TB of storage.

The SMPTE first released Standard 2036 for UHDTV in 2007.[33] UHDTV was defined as having two levels called UHDTV1 (3840 × 2160 or 4K UHDTV) and UHDTV2 (7680 × 4320 or 8K UHDTV).[33][34]

In May 2007, the NHK did an indoor demonstration at the NHK Open House in which a UHDTV signal (7680 × 4320 at 60 fps) was compressed to a 250 Mbit/s MPEG2 stream.[35] The signal was input to a 300 MHz wide band modulator and broadcast using a 500 MHz QPSK modulation.[35] This "on the air" transmission had a very limited range (less than 2 meters), but shows the feasibility of a satellite transmission in the 36,000 km orbit.[35]

On May 19, 2011, SHARP in collaboration with NHK demonstrated a direct-view 85 in (220 cm) LCD display capable of 7680×4320 pixels at 10 bits per pixel.[40] It was the first direct-view Super Hi-Vision-compatible display released.[41]

Before 2011, UHDTV allowed for frame rates of 24, 25, 50, and 60 fps.[34] In an ITU-R meeting during 2011, an additional frame rate was added to UHDTV of 120 fps.[42]

In April 2012, NHK (in collaboration with Panasonic) announced a 145 in (370 cm) display (7680×4320 at 60 fps), which has 33.2 million 0.417 mm square pixels.[46]

In April 2012, the four major Korean terrestrial broadcasters (KBS, MBC, SBS, and EBS) announced that in the future, they would begin test broadcasts of UHDTV on channel 66 in Seoul.[47][48] At the time of the announcement, the UHDTV technical details had not yet been decided.[47][48]LG Electronics and Samsung are also involved in UHDTV test broadcasts.[48]

In May 2012, NHK showed the world's first ultra-high-definition shoulder-mount camera.[49] By reducing the size and weight of the camera, the portability had been improved, making it more maneuverable than previous prototypes, so it can be used in a wide variety of shooting situations.[49] The single-chip sensor uses a Bayer color-filter array, where only one color component is acquired per pixel.[49] Researchers at NHK have also developed a high-quality up-converter, which estimates the other two-color components to convert the output into full resolution video.[49]

Also in May 2012, NHK showed the ultra-high-definition imaging system it has developed in conjunction with Shizuoka University, which outputs 33.2-megapixel video at 120 fps with a color depth of 12 bits.[50][51] As ultra-high-definition broadcasts at full resolution are designed for large, wall-sized displays, there is a possibility that fast-moving subjects may not be clear when shot at 60 fps, so the option of 120 fps has been standardized for these situations.[50] To handle the sensor output of approximately 4 billion pixels per second with a data rate as high as 51.2 Gbit/s, a faster analog-to-digital converter has been developed to process the data from the pixels, and then a high-speed output circuit distributes the resulting digital signals into 96 parallel channels.[50] This 1.5 in (38 mm) CMOS sensor is smaller and uses less power when compared to conventional ultra-high-definition sensors, and it is also the world's first to support the full specifications of the ultra-high-definition standard.[50]

During the 2012 Summer Olympics in Great Britain, the format was publicly showcased by the world's largest broadcaster, the BBC,[52] which set up 15 meter wide screens in London, Glasgow, and Bradford to allow viewers to see the Games in ultra-high definition.[53][54]

On May 31, 2012,[55] Sony released the VPL-VW1000ES 4K 3D Projector,[56] the world's first consumer-prosumer projector using the 4K UHDTV system, with the shutter-glasses stereoscopic 3D technology priced at US$24,999.99.[57][58]

On August 22, 2012, LG announced the world's first 3D UHDTV using the 4K system.[59]

On September 15, 2012, David Wood, Deputy Director of the EBU Technology and Development Department (who chairs the ITU working group that created Rec. 2020), told The Hollywood Reporter that Korea plans to begin test broadcasts of 4K UHDTV next year.[61][62][63] Wood also said that many broadcasters have the opinion that going from HDTV to 8K UHDTV is too much of a leap and that it would be better to start with 4K UHDTV.[61] In the same article Masakazu Iwaki, NHK Research senior manager, said that the NHK plan to go with 8K UHDTV is for economic reasons since directly going to 8K UHDTV would avoid an additional transition from 4K UHDTV to 8K UHDTV.[61]

On October 18, 2012, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) announced that it had been unanimously agreed on by a vote of the CEA's Board of Industry Leaders that the term "Ultra High-Definition", or "Ultra HD", would be used for displays that have a resolution of at least 8 megapixels with a vertical resolution of at least 2,160 pixels and a horizontal resolution of at least 3,840 pixels.[64][65][66][67] The Ultra HD label also requires the display to have an aspect ratio of 16:9 or wider and to have at least one digital input that can carry and present a native video signal of 3840x2160 without having to rely on a video scaler.[64][65][66][67] Sony announced they would market their 4K products as 4K Ultra High-Definition (4K UHD).[68]

On October 23, 2012, Ortus Technology Co., Ltd announced the development of the world's smallest 3840x2160 pixel LCD panel with a size of 9.6 in (24 cm) and a pixel density of 458ppi.[69][70][71] The LCD panel is designed for medical equipment and professional video equipment.[69][70][71]

On October 25, 2012, LG Electronics began selling the first flat panel Ultra HD display in the United States with a resolution of 3840x2160.[72][73][74] The LG 84LM9600 is a 84 in (210 cm) flat panel LED-backlit LCD display with a price of US$19,999 though the retail store was selling it for US$16,999.[72][73][74]

On November 30, 2012, Red Digital Cinema Camera Company announced that they were taking pre-orders for the US$1,450 REDRAY 4K Cinema Player, which can ouput 4K resolution to a single 4K display or to four 1080p displays arranged in any configuration via four HDMI 1.4 connections.[78][79] Video output can be 4K DCI (4096x2160), 4K Ultra HD, 1080p, and 720p at frame rates of up to 60 fps with a bit depth of up to 12-bits with 4:2:2 chroma subsampling.[78] Audio output can be up to 7.1 channels.[78] Content is distributed online using the ODEMAX video service.[78] External storage can be connected using eSATA, Ethernet, USB, or a Secure Digital memory card.[78]

On January 8, 2013, Broadcom announced the BCM7445, an Ultra HD decoding chip capable of decoding High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) at up to 4096 × 2160p at 60 fps.[88][89][90][91] The BCM7445 is a 28 nm ARM architecture chip capable of 21,000 DhrystoneMIPS with volume production estimated for the middle of 2014.[88][89][90][91] On the same day THX announced the "THX 4K Certification" program for Ultra HD displays.[92][93][94] The certification involves up to 600 tests and the goal of the program is so that "content viewed on a THX Certified Ultra HD display meets the most exacting video standards achievable in a consumer television today".[92][93][94]

On January 14, 2013, Blu-ray Disc Association president Andy Parsons stated that a task force created three months ago is studying an extension to the Blu-ray Disc specification that would add support for 4K Ultra HD video.[95][96]

On January 25, 2013, the BBC announced that the BBC Natural History Unit would produce Survival—he first wildlife TV series recorded in 4K resolution. This was announced after the BBC had experimented with 8k during the London Olympics.[97][98]

On April 19, 2013, SES announced the first Ultra HD transmission using the HEVC standard.[112][113][114] The transmission had a resolution of 3840x2160 and a bit rate of 20 Mbit/s.[112][113][114]

On May 9, 2013, NHK and Mitsubishi Electric announced that they had jointly developed the first HEVC encoder for 8K Ultra HD TV, which is also called Super Hi-Vision (SHV).[115][116][117][118] The HEVC encoder supports the Main 10 profile at Level 6.1 allowing it to encode 10-bit video with a resolution of 7680x4320 at 60 fps.[115][116][117][118] The HEVC encoder has 17 3G-SDI inputs and uses 17 boards for parallel processing with each board encoding a row of 7680x256 pixels to allow for real time video encoding.[115][116][117][118] The HEVC encoder is compliant with draft 4 of the HEVC standard and has a maximum bit rate of 340 Mbit/s.[119] The HEVC encoder was shown at the NHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories Open House 2013 that took place from 30 May to June 2.[115][117][120] At the NHK Open House 2013 the HEVC encoder used a bit rate of 85 Mbit/s, which gives a compression ratio of 350:1.[121][122]

On May 21, 2013, Microsoft announced the Xbox One, which supports 4K resolution (3840×2160) video output and 7.1 surround sound.[123][124][125] Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of marketing and strategy for Microsoft, has stated that there is no hardware restriction that would prevent Xbox One games from running at 4K resolution.[124]

In mid-2013, a China television manufacturer produced the first 50-inch UHD television set costing less than $1,000.[128]

On June 11, 2013, Comcast announced that they had demonstrated the first public U.S. based delivery of 4K Ultra HD video at the 2013 NCTA show.[129][130] The demonstration included segments from Oblivion, Defiance, and nature content sent over a DOCSIS 3.0 network.[130]

On June 13, 2013, ESPN announced that they would end the broadcast of the ESPN 3D channel by the end of that year and would "...experiment with things like UHDTV."[131]

On June 26, 2013, Sharp announced the LC-70UD1U, which is a 70 in (180 cm) 4K Ultra HD TV.[132][133] The LC-70UD1U is the world's first TV with THX 4K certification.[132][133]

On July 2, 2013, Jimmy Kimmel Live! recorded in 4K Ultra HD a performance by musical guest Karmin, and the video clip was used as demonstration material at Sony stores.[134]

On July 3, 2013, Sony announced the release of their 4K Ultra HD Media Player with a price of US$7.99 for rentals and US$29.99 for purchases.[135][136] The 4K Ultra HD Media Player only works with Sony's 4K Ultra HD TVs.[136]

On July 15, 2013, the CEA published CEA-861-F, a standard that applies to interfaces such as DVI, HDMI, and LVDS.[137] CEA-861-F adds support for several Ultra HD video formats and additional color spaces.[137]

On September 2, 2013 Acer announced the first smartphone dubbed Liquid S2 capable of recording 4K.[138]

On September 4, 2013, the HDMI Forum released the HDMI 2.0 specification, which supports 4K resolution at 60 fps.[139] On the same day, Panasonic announced the Panasonic TC-L65WT600—the first 4K TV to support 4K resolution at 60 fps.[140][141] The Panasonic TC-L65WT600 has a 65 in (170 cm) screen, support for DisplayPort 1.2a, support for HDMI 2.0, an expected ship date of October, and a suggested retail price of US$5,999.[140][141]

On September 12–17, 2013,[142] at the 2013 IBC Conference in Amsterdam, Nagra introduced a Ultra HD User Interface called Project Ultra based on HTML5, which works with OpenTV 5.[143]

On October 4, 2013, DigitalEurope, announced the requirements for their UHD logo in Europe.[144] The DigitalEurope UHD logo requires that the display support a resolution of at least 3840x2160, a 16:9 aspect ratio, the Rec. 709 (HDTV) color space, 8-bit video, 24p/25p/30p/50p/60p frame rates, and 2 channel audio.[144]

On October 29, 2013, Elemental Technologies announced support for real-time 4K Ultra HD HEVC video processing. Elemental provided live video streaming of the 2013 Osaka Marathon on October 27, 2013, in a workflow designed by K-Opticom, a telecommunications operator in Japan. Live coverage of the race in 4K Ultra HD was available to viewers at the International Exhibition Center in Osaka. This transmission of 4K Ultra HD HEVC video in real-time was an industry-first.[145]

On November 28, 2013, Organizing Committee of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games 2014 in Sochi chief Dmitri Chernyshenko stated that the 2014 Olympic Winter Games would be shot in 8K Super Hi-Vision.[146]

On December 25, 2013, YouTube added a "2160p 4K" option to its videoplayer. Previously, a visitor had to select the "original" setting in the video quality menu to watch a video in 4K resolution. With the new setting, YouTube users can much more easily identify and play 4K videos.[147]

On December 30, 2013, Samsung announced availability of its 110-inch Ultra HDTV for custom orders, making this the world's largest Ultra HDTV so far.[148]

On May 6, 2014, France announced[150] DVB-T2 tests in Paris for Ultra HD HEVC broadcast with objectives to replace by 2020 the current DVB-TMPEG4 HD national broadcast.

On May 26, 2014, satellite operator Eutelsat announced[151] the launch of Europe's first Ultra HD demo channel in HEVC, broadcasting at 50 frames/second. The channel is available on the Hot Bird satellites and can be watched by viewers with 4k TVs equipped with DVB-S2 demodulators and HEVC decoders.

On June 24, 2014, the CEA updated the guidelines for Ultra High-Definition and released guidelines for Connected Ultra High-Definition, adding support for internet video delivered with HEVC.[154][155] The CEA is developing a UHD logo for voluntary use by companies that make products that meet CEA guidelines.[154][155] The CEA also clarified that "Ultra High-Definition", "Ultra HD", or "UHD" can be used with other modifiers and gave an example with "Ultra High-Definition TV 4K".[154][155]

On July 15, 2014, Researchers from the University of Essex both captured and delivered its graduation ceremonies in 4kUHDTV over the internet using H.264 in realtime.[156][157] The 4K video stream was published at 8 Mbit/s and 14 Mbit/s for all its 11 ceremonies (till July 19), with people viewing in from countries such as Cyprus, Bulgaria, Germany, Australia, UK and others.

On September 4, 2014, Canon Inc. announced that a firmware upgrade would add Rec. 2020 color space support to their EOS C500 and EOS C500 PL camera models and their DP-V3010 4K display.[158][159]

On September 4, 2014, Microsoft announced a firmware update for the Microsoft Lumia1020, 930, Icon, and 1520 phones that adds 4k video recording. The update was later released by the individual phone carriers over the following weeks and months after the announcement.[160]

On September 11, 2014 satellite operator SES announced the first Ultra HD conditional access-protected broadcast using DVB standards at the IBC show in Amsterdam. The demonstration used a Samsung Ultra HD TV, with a standard Kudelski SmarDTV CI Plus conditional access module, to decrypt a full 3840x2160 pixel CAS-protected Ultra HD signal in HEVC broadcast via an SES Astra satellite at 19.2°E.[166]

On November 19, 2014, rock band Linkin Park's concert at Berlin's O2 World Arena was broadcast live in Ultra HD via an Astra 19.2°E satellite. The broadcast was encoded in the UHD 4K standard with the HEVC codec (50 frames per second and a 10 bit colour depth), and was a joint enterprise of satellite owner SES, SES Platform Services (now MX1) and Samsung.[167]

Indian satellite pay TV provider Tata Sky launched UHD service and UHD Set Top Box on 9 January 2015. The service is 4Kp50 and price of UHD box is ₹5900 for existing SD/HD customers and ₹6400 for new customers. The Cricket World Cup 2015 was telecast live in 4K for free to those who own Tata Sky's UHD 4K STB.

In May 2015, France Télévisions broadcast matches from Roland Garros live in Ultra HD via the EUTELSAT 5 West A satellite in the HEVC standard. The channel "France TV Sport Ultra HD" was available via the Fransat platform for viewers in France.[168]

In June, SES launched its first Ultra HD demonstration channel for cable operators and content distributors in North America to prepare their systems and test their networks for Ultra HD delivery. The channel is broadcast from the SES-3 satellite at 103°W.[170]

In June, SPI International previewed its "4K FunBox UHD" Ultra HD channel on the HOT BIRD 4K1 channel, in advance of its commercial launch on Eutelsat's HOT BIRD satellites in the autumn.[171]

In July 2015, German HD satellite broadcaster HD+ and TV equipment manufacturer TechniSat announced an Ultra HD TV set with integrated decryption for reception of existing HD+ channels (available in the Autumn) and a new Ultra HD demonstration channel due to begin broadcasting in September.[172]

On 2 August 2015, The FA community shield in England was broadcast in ultra HD by broadcast company BT Sport, becoming the first English football game shown in the Ultra HD. The match was shown on Europe's first ultra hd channel, BT Sport Ultra HD.[173]

In September 2015, Eutelsat presented new consumer research, conducted by TNS and GfK, on Ultra HD and screen sales in key TV markets. The study looked at consumer exposure to Ultra HD, perceived benefits and willingness to invest in equipment and content. GfK predicts a 200% increase in Ultra HD screen sales from June to December 2015, with sales expected to reach five million by the end of the year. GfK also forecasts that Ultra HD screens in 2020 will represent more than 70% of total sales across Europe and almost 60% in the Middle East and North Africa.[175]

On 2 September 2015, Sony unveiled the Xperia Z5 Premium; the first smartphone with a 4K display.[176]

On 8 December 2015, the Roman Catholic ceremony of the opening of the Holy Door in Vatican City, which marked the beginning of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, was the first worldwide Ultra HD broadcast via satellite.[179] The event was produced in Ultra-HD by the Vatican Television Center with the support of Eutelsat, Sony, Globecast and DBW Communication. The team did some advanced experimentation with 4K/High Dynamic Range live images and in particular using technology developed by the BBC's R&D division and Japan's public broadcaster NHK in terms of Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) signals.[180]

On April 2, 2016, Ultra-high-definition television demo channel UHD1 broadcast the Le Corsaire ballet in Ultra HD live from the Vienna State Opera. The programme was produced by Astra satellite owner, SES in collaboration with European culture channel ARTE, and transmitted free-to-air, available to anyone with reception of the Astra 19.2°E satellites and an ultra HD screen equipped with an HEVC decoder.[181]

As of April 2016, The NPD Group reported that 6 million 4K UHD televisions had been sold.[182]

In May 2016, Modern Times Group, owner of the Viasat DTH platform announced the launch of Viasat Ultra HD, the first UHD channel for the Nordic region and the first UHD Sports channel in the World. The channel features selected live sport events especially produced in Ultra HD and launch in the autumn via the SES-5 satellite at 5°E. Viasat is also launching an Ultra HD set-top box from Samsung and a TV-module that enables existing UHD TVs to display the channel.[183] Satellite operator, SES said that the launch of Viasat Ultra HD brings the number of UHD channels (including test channels and regional versions) carried on SES satellites to 24, or 46% of all UHD channels broadcast via satellite worldwide.[184]

DVB approved the Standard TS 101 154 V2.1.1, published (07/2014) in the DVB Blue Book A157 Specification for the use of Video and Audio Coding in Broadcasting Applications based on the MPEG-2 Transport Stream, which was published by ETSI in the following months.

On October 13, 2014, an interim standard – "TTAI.KO-07.0123: Transmission and Reception for Terrestrial UHDTV Broadcasting Service" – was published based on HEVC encoding, with MPEG 2 TS, and DVB-T2 serving as the standards.

On June 24, 2016, a standard – "TTAK.KO-07.0127: Transmission and Reception for Terrestrial UHDTV Broadcasting Service" – was published based on HEVC encoding, with MMTP/ROUTE IP, and ATSC 3.0 serving as the standards.